Method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer

• US 6,292,768 B1
• Filed: 07/20/1999
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kanji Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Kanji Software Incorporated
• Inventors: Chan, Kun Chun
• Primary Examiner(s): EDOUARD, PATRICK NESTOR
• Application Number:
  US09/297,707
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 704/1, 704/8, 704/9, 704/10, 707/530, 707/535, 400/110, 341/22
• US Class Current: 704/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

A method for specifically converting non-phonetic characters representing vocabulary in languages into surrogate words for inputting into a computer includes the steps of (a) alphabetizing a pictographic/ideographic radical of each character according to its pronunciation in a respective language, with the resulting spelling then being used as a prefix for a newly created surrogate word; (b) alphabetizing a phonetic radical according to its pronunciation in the respective language with the resulting spelling then being used as a suffix for the newly created surrogate word; and (c) combining the prefix and suffix together and separate them with a separate mark such as a hyphen “-”, thus creating the surrogate word for each specific “character” used in the written form of the respective language. Such newly created surrogate words are unique for and can precisely represent the non-phonetic characters used in the written oriental languages such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean language, and Indian language, thus facilitating the easy input of the information in these languages into a computer either manually or orally.

Claims

1. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, comprising the steps of:

(a) assigning a unique code to represent a pictographic/ideographic radical of a non-phonetic character of a language, wherein said unique code being used as a prefix for a surrogate word;

(b) alphabetizing said non-phonetic character of said respective language according to a pronunciation of said non-phonetic character to form a spelled suffix for said surrogate word; and

(c) combining said prefix and said suffix together to constitute said surrogate word representing said non-phonetic character of said respective language.

2. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 1, wherein, in step (a), said unique code of said prefix of said surrogate word is a numeral code.

3. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 1, wherein, in step (a), said unique code of said prefix of said surrogate word is an alphabetic spelling of a phonetic word having a meaning of said pictographic/ideographic radical.

4. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 1, wherein, in step (a), said unique code of said prefix of said surrogate word is an alphabetic spelling of a pronunciation of said pictographic/ideographic radical.

5. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 1, wherein, in step (a), said unique code of said prefix of said surrogate word is an abbreviated form of an alphabetic spelling of a pronunciation of said pictographic/ideographic radical.

6. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 5, wherein said abbreviated form of said prefix of said surrogate word is a consonant of said pronunciation of said pictographic/ideographic radical.

7. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 5, wherein said abbreviated form of said prefix of said surrogate word is a first alphabet of said alphabetic spelling of said pronunciation of said pictographic/ideographic radical.

8. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 5, wherein said abbreviated form of said prefix of said surrogate word is a last alphabet of said alphabetic spelling of said pronunciation of said pictographic/ideographic radical.

9. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 1, wherein, in step (b), said character of said respective language is alphabetized by pronouncing a phonetic radical of said character to form said suffix of said surrogate word.

10. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 1, wherein, in step (c), further comprising a first additional step of indicating an intonation of said suffix with a predetermined consonant as an indicator placed at the end of said spelling of said suffix.

11. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 4, wherein, in step (c), further comprising a first additional step of indicating an intonation of said prefix and said suffix respectively with a predetermined consonant as an indicator placed at the end of said spelling of said prefix and said suffix.

12. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 11, wherein a first intonation of said prefix and said suffix bear no indicator, a second intonation of said prefix and said suffix being denoted by a second consonant, a third intonation of said prefix and said suffix being denoted by a third consonant, a fourth intonation of said prefix and said suffix being denoted by a fourth consonant.

13. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 1, after said step (c), further comprising an additional step of adding at least a marker after a last alphabet of prefix and a last alphabet of said suffix of said spelled surrogate word respectively for distinguishing homonymous characters.

14. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 12, after said step (c), further comprising an additional step of adding at least a marker after a last alphabet of prefix and a last alphabet of said suffix of said spelled surrogate word respectively for distinguishing homonymous characters.

15. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 1, wherein, after step (c), further comprising the steps of:

(d1) illustrating the prefix of the surrogate word by a visual picture which represents the meaning of the pictographic/ideographic radical represented by the prefix;

(d2) illustrating the meaning of the non-phonetic by a corresponding meaning visual picture; and

(d3) combining the prefix visual picture with the character meaning visual picture.

16. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said surrogate words is input into the computer by inputting a spelling of said prefix and then a spelling of said suffix into the computer.

17. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 1, after step (c), further comprising an inputting method for inputting said non-phonetic character into said computer by typing surrogate word into said computer.

18. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 17, wherein said inputting method comprises the steps of:

(1) typing said prefix of said surrogate word into said computer; and

(2) typing said suffix of said surrogate word into said computer.

19. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 1, after step (c), further comprising an inputting method for inputting said non-phonetic character into said computer by pronouncing said surrogate word into a voice recognizing system of said computer.

20. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 19, wherein said inputting method comprises the steps of:

(1) pronouncing said prefix of said surrogate word into a voice recognizing system of said computer; and

(2) pronouncing said suffix of said surrogate word into said voice recognizing system of said computer.

21. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, comprising the steps of:

(a) alphabetizing a non-phonetic character of a language according to a pronunciation of said non-phonetic character to form a spelled prefix of a surrogate word;

(b) assigning a unique code to represent a pictographic/ideographic radical of said non-phonetic character of said respective language, wherein said unique code being used as a suffix for said surrogate word; and

(c) combining said prefix and said suffix together to constitute said surrogate word representing said character of said respective language.

22. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 21, wherein, in step (a), said unique code of said prefix of said surrogate word is a numeral code.

23. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 21, wherein, in step (a), said unique code of said prefix of said surrogate word is an alphabetic spelling of a phonetic word having a meaning of said pictographic/ideographic radical.

24. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 21, wherein, in step (a), said unique code of said prefix of said surrogate word is an alphabetic spelling of a pronunciation of said pictographic/ideographic radical.

25. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 21, wherein, in step (a), said unique code of said prefix of said surrogate word is an abbreviated form of an alphabetic spelling of a pronunciation of said pictographic/ideographic radical.

26. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 25, wherein said abbreviated form of said prefix of said surrogate word is a consonant of said pronunciation of said pictographic/ideographic radical.

27. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 25, wherein said abbreviated form of said prefix of said surrogate word is a first alphabet of said alphabetic spelling of said pronunciation of said pictographic/ideographic radical.

28. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 25, wherein said abbreviated form of said prefix of said surrogate word is a last alphabet of said alphabetic spelling of said pronunciation of said pictographic/ideographic radical.

29. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 21, wherein, in step (b), said character of said respective language is alphabetized by pronouncing a phonetic radical of said character to form said suffix of said surrogate word.

30. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 21, wherein, in step (c), further comprising a first additional step of indicating an intonation of said suffix with a predetermined consonant as an indicator placed at the end of said spelling of said suffix.

31. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 24, wherein, in step (c), further comprising a first additional step of indicating an intonation of said prefix and said suffix respectively with a predetermined consonant as an indicator placed at the end of said spelling of said prefix and said suffix.

32. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 31, wherein a first intonation of said prefix and said suffix bear no indicator, a second intonation of said prefix and said suffix being denoted by a second consonant, a third intonation of said prefix and said suffix being denoted by a third consonant, a fourth intonation of said prefix and said suffix being denoted by a fourth consonant.

33. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 21, after said step (c), further comprising an additional step of adding at least a marker after a last alphabet of prefix and a last alphabet of said suffix of said spelled surrogate word respectively for distinguishing homonymous characters.

34. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 32, after said step (c), further comprising an additional step of adding at least a marker after a last alphabet of prefix and a last alphabet of said suffix of said spelled surrogate word respectively for distinguishing homonymous characters.

35. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 21, wherein, after step (c), further comprising the steps of:

(d1) illustrating the prefix of the surrogate word by a visual picture which represents the meaning of the pictographic/ideographic radical represented by the prefix;

(d2) illustrating the meaning of the non-phonetic by a corresponding meaning visual picture; and

(d3) combining the prefix visual picture with the character meaning visual picture.

36. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 21, wherein each of said surrogate words is input into the computer by inputting a spelling of said prefix and then a spelling of said suffix into the computer.

37. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 21, after step (c), further comprising an inputting method for inputting said non-phonetic character into said computer by typing surrogate word into said computer.

38. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 37, wherein said inputting method comprises the steps of:

(1) typing said prefix of said surrogate word into said computer; and

(2) typing said suffix of said surrogate word into said computer.

39. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 21, after step (c), further comprising an inputting method for inputting said non-phonetic character into said computer by pronouncing said surrogate word into a voice recognizing system of said computer.

40. A method for converting non-phonetic characters into surrogate words for inputting into a computer, as recited in claim 39, wherein said inputting method comprises the steps of:

(1) pronouncing said prefix of said surrogate word into a voice recognizing system of said computer; and

(2) pronouncing said suffix of said surrogate word into said voice recognizing system of said computer.